Podcast appearances and mentions of James Bowen

For Miss Braithwaite, who gave me eloquence. ‘I need to summon the spirits of place…' This week, we join Sally in rehearsal for a performance, given last week at Somerville College as part of Oxfordshire Mind's evening of ‘Connections.' Listen for an invocation of character, both in fiction and of those figures in our own lives that become part of our stories. Both Gladys and J.M.W. Turner feature in Sally's recent novel, The Green Lady (William Collins, 2023). This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

The removal of performance-related pay in 2024 marked a turning point in how schools approach teacher appraisal. But why was performance-related pay a problem in schools? What does the research actually tell us? And what do teachers really need for meaningful professional growth?Gareth Conyard, director of education at the Teacher Development Trust (TDT), and Andrea Bean, its research and evaluation manager, answer these questions and more in this conversation with NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen.The TDT's new research report offers school leaders clear, evidence-based recommendations for designing developmental appraisal systems in schools, with a one-page guide created specifically for school leaders. Find out more.School leaders who are interested in taking part in a forum to discuss the challenges and opportunities around teacher appraisal are invited to join a TDT-led session taking place from 9.30am to 11am on Thursday 19 June 2025. Register here.

‘Enid's hands are always kept busy caring for other people…' This week, Sally continues her theme of developing characters from objects by presenting a portrait of Enid Bagot, a young woman used to working with her hands, who will feature in Sally's forthcoming imagined biography, provisionally titled Mrs Parnell. Listen for a reflection on the routines and rhythms of life and work, interspersed with the moments from Sally's own life that provide her inspiration. The image of the cat by Edward Lear that Sally refers to can be viewed here. The wonderful piano music in the opening section is ‘Tuesday', by Paul Seba. More on Paul and his work can be found here. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘His straw hat hurt him, it pinched his forehead and started a dull ache in the two bones just over the temples…' This week, Sally has been reading and teaching Katherine Mansfield, focusing on characters in her short fiction. Listen for a masterclass on openings, writing characters through objects, and making connections between and through them. The full text of the stories Sally reads can be found here. The passage read in the final section comes from Sally's forthcoming fictional biography, provisionally titled Mrs Parnell. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

For Emilie: may you always sing. We return this week, for a special micro-episode, to Mrs Dalloway's London. Listen for a brief meditation on the fragmentation of life, interruption, and finding meaning in art. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘Now it was time to move, and, as a woman gathers her things together, her cloak, her gloves, her opera-glasses, and gets up to out of the theatre into the street, she rose from the sofa and went to Peter…' This week, we join Sally reflecting on the arrangement of character. Listen for a journey, via Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway (1925) through perspectives, cityscapes, and the means by which we navigate everyday life. The music accompanying the initial discussion of Mrs Dalloway is ‘Friday', by Paul Sebastian. More about Paul and his work can be found here. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

How do you keep your school's IT systems and data safe? From ‘hot' and ‘cold' backups and the cloud to patching, passwords and multi-factor authentication, this episode looks at some of the most common cybersecurity concerns – and some of their solutions.With the UK's schools and trusts increasingly reliant on digital technology for a range of functions, robust procedures are vital to protect against damage and cyberattacks. Here, Matthew Setchell, chief technology officer at Concero, shares his expertise, tips and ‘non-negotiables' with NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen.NAHT members can find out more about Concero's work at naht.org.uk/concero-education-technology.

‘Sightlines produce a story, an avenue, a walkway, a space to move through…' This week, we join Sally reflecting on the idea of the sightline, and the stories they structure. Listen for a meditation on narrative, childhood, and a unique perspective of and from The Dreaming Spires… The text of the Sylvia Plath poem Sally references can be found here.  This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

In this episode, former Metropolitan Police hostage and crisis negotiator Nicky Perfect shares strategies to help school leaders deal with difficult everyday situations by improving communication with pupils, parents and colleagues when emotions are running high.Using lessons learned confronting the extremes of human behaviour, Nicky talks about what to say – and what not to say, explains the importance of a ‘really good listen' and shares powerful tools that can help you communicate better, defuse conflict and negotiate effectively. Hear her in conversation with NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen.Nicky will be a keynote speaker at this year's Inspiring Leadership Conference, which takes place on 12 and 13 June in Birmingham. She is one of a line-up that includes naturalist Chris Packham and Olympic gold medallist Ben Hunt-Davis, who will all be there to share their stories and strategies with school leaders. Find out more.

‘I try to live my life as though I were stitching together a book of songs.' This week, Sally offers us a tour through the stitched-together songs of her life, reflecting on the form of rhapsody. Join her for a series of vignettes on art, education, memory, and connection. This text of this episode is based on an address Sally gave at Wadham College Chapel, part of an evening of ‘Taking Heart in Poetry & Song' for St David's Day. More information can be found here.  The full text of Dylan Thomas' poem, ‘The force that through the green fuse drives the flower', quoted early in the episode can be found here.  The wonderful piano music in the opening and closing sections is, respectively, ‘Tuesday' and ‘Saturday' by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Tom in for Nick and joined by Racing Post journalist Jonathan Harding. We start with the news tat Jack Kennedy will return to the saddle from Monday and be fit to ride at the Cheltenham Festival this year and Jack is along to tell us more. We hear from new Cheltenham CEO Guy Lavender re the news that the Supreme Novices' Hurdle will be named after the late Michael O'Sullivan. Guy also looks ahead to his first festival and touches on some important changes this year and his hopes for 2025. We give news on James Bowen appealing his ban which will keep him out of Cheltenham as things stand and also bring news or Eric McNamara's successful appeal after Mount Ferns was found to have been permitted to run other than on its merits. The Horse Welfare Board's Pip Kirkby tells us about the growing support behind schooling days on British racecourses and we then turn our attention to this weekend. We hear from Neil Mulholland who has Petrol Head on first start for him in the Morebattle Hurdle and George Scott tells us about plans for West Acre this season who lines up in a Group 3 at Meydan on Emirates Super Saturday.

Plans to change the way schools in England will be inspected were unveiled by Ofsted earlier this month. These would see schools graded on a five-step scale across a wider range of individual areas – from ‘exemplary' to ‘causing concern', with a separate assessment of whether safeguarding standards are met.Here, NAHT's general secretary Paul Whiteman and assistant general secretary James Bowen address some of the issues the proposals raise – from ‘monitoring', ‘sub-judgements' and ‘stuck schools' to the realities of a traffic-light system and the lack of quantitative questions in Ofsted's consultation.NAHT believes the plans would replicate the worst aspects of the current system while doing little to reduce the pressure school leaders are under, and there's a way to provide clearer information for parents and schools without resorting to grades.Ofsted's consultation is open until 28 April 2025. See NAHT's guidance for NAHT members on completing Ofsted's consultation.  For more education news and debate, join us on Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky or X.

‘I see that she is thinking most of her canvas, and how she will get there…' This week, we join Sally after visiting her friend, the artist Emma Neuberg. Listen for a reflection of friendship, travel, and the connections art offers us. More information on Emma and her work can be found here. She can also be found on Instagram @emmaneuberg. The beautiful piano music in the closing section is ‘Tuesday', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Published in December and currently making its way through parliament, the government's Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill would bring about changes to laws affecting safeguarding and schools. The bill includes new rules on branded uniforms, an end to automatic academisation for schools judged to be ‘causing concern', free breakfast clubs in state-funded primaries and a unique identifier for all children. Join NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen as he takes a closer look at the plans and what they would mean for school leaders. See NAHT's briefing on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

‘Blithe came to me, not in flashing red or pink neon, but in pastels… in soft, painterly tones…' This week, Sally has been inspired by a dream of the word ‘blithe.' Listen for a meditation on the relationship between words, language, and the memories they ignite. The Muir poem Sally reads can be found here. The music used in the opening and closing section is, respectively, ‘Sunday' and ‘Thursday', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

What does being a leader in a primary or secondary school today really involve? How does the role vary across the UK? And how can we make it more sustainable? In this episode of NAHT's podcast, Professor Toby Greany of the University of Nottingham and Dr Tom Perry of the University of Warwick are joined by NAHT's assistant general secretary James Bowen in a conversation addressing these questions and more. Researching Sustainable School Leadership is an ongoing project looking at the realities of school leadership in the UK today and how the role can be made more sustainable. Find out more about the project at sustainableschoolleadership.uk. The project's current survey exploring the experiences of all head teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders is running until the end of January 2025 – take part at sustainableschoolleadership.uk/leadership-survey.

‘Rhythm seems to be the first or formal relation of part to part in any whole…' This week, Sally has been thinking about rhythms, in her life, writing, and the works of others. Listen for a meditation, via James Joyce, Jean Rhys' Good Morning, Midnight (1939), and Sally's work in progress, on the suturing of experience, and the spaces between moments of being. Joyce's reflection on rhythm, among others, can be found in full here.  Sally is currently in the early stages of writing out the rhythms and images of her next book – a passage from which appears in this episode - following an unlikely set of characters, including Katherine Parnell, from the realm of fable, fairytale, folklore, and history. The guitar music accompanying Sally's discussion of the fire is by Dylan Gwalia. The closing track is ‘Thursday', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

A little more than four months on since the general election, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman reflects on working with the new government so far, why politicians must rebuild trust among school leaders and what social partnership in policymaking means in practice. He's joined in conversation for this episode of NAHT's School Leadership Podcast by NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen.

This week, Sally has been reflecting on her ‘orphan power', a phrase once applied to her by Will Self, and her relationship with orphaned literary characters such as Jane Eyre. Listen for a meditation on isolation, belonging, and the communities that art can provide. The extracts performed here involving Jane Eyre and Miss Marple are from Sally's first coming of age novel, Girl with Dove (William Collins, 2018). The wonderful piano music in the opening section is 'Rain', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was partially inspired by Sally being asked to speak at a symposium on ‘The Impact of Lived Experience on Care Associated Research by Care Experienced Researchers', convened by Dr Annie Skinner, a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University. More information on Dr Skinner's work can be found here. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.    

This week, we join Sally at home, on a sunny autumn day. Listen for a meditation on play, weather, and our relationships with everyday objects. The passage from David Copperfield can be found here. More from Sally on the kaleidoscope mentioned early in the episode can be found here. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies, / Yet now they fright me.' This week, we join Sally in the early morning, after a Shakespearean dream. Listen for a meditation on the boundaries between sleeping and waking, dreams and reality, and confidence and hubris. Calpurnia's full speech can be found here. The wonderful piano music in the opening section is ‘Tuesday', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘I hate walking, it seems so pointless to me…' This week, Sally has been musing on the importance of mobility, reflecting on the increasing role of her blue scooter in her life. Listen for a meditation on the importance of transport, both physical and imaginative, via Thomas Bernhard, Agatha Christie, and Elizabeth Bishop. Miss Marple of Bourne End has previously appeared in Sally's first novel, Girl with Dove (2018). Available from all good booksellers. The guitar music in the opening section is by Dylan Gwalia, and the piano music in the closing section is ‘Doubt', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

From ditching performance targets to allowing teachers time off – hear how a multi-academy trust is overhauling its policies in a bid to tackle workload and improve the well-being of its teaching staff. Jonny Uttley, chief executive officer at The Education Alliance – a trust based in the East Riding of Yorkshire – speaks to NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen about the need for accountability reform, their workload charter and the steps they're taking to reduce teaching tasks, boost retention and bring about improvements for staff and students.

This week, Sally offers us a series of vignettes from her travels, both past and present. Follow her on a journey around Europe, through the eyes of the child, adult, and writer. The wonderful piano music in the opening section is ‘Sunday', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus. A note on the sound: This was recorded on location, while Sally taught at the Rosemary's House writing retreat in Greece, without Sally's usual recording equipment. As such, we regret that the audio quality is not up to its usual standard!

‘A gift, a love gift / Utterly unasked for / By a sky' This week, Sally has been reading Sylvia Plath's ‘Poppies in October' (1963). Join her for this brief mediation on living generously and the restorative powers of reading poetry. The text of the poem can be found here. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Whether it's synthetic phonics, the curriculum or school inspection, how are our education policies actually made? Why do they often fail the sector they are intended to serve? And how can we make sure the people actually delivering education to children in schools have a say in what's decided? This episode examines the state of education policymaking in England and how we could improve it. NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen is joined by Nansi Ellis, an education policy consultant and former assistant general secretary at the National Education Union, and Gareth Conyard, co-CEO of the Teacher Development Trust and a former Department for Education senior civil servant. Their book Improving Education Policy Together: How it's made, implemented, and can be done better, published by Routledge, is available now.

‘Silence, quietness, that's a way of living…' This week, we join Sally in the attic room of her family home, where she has been reading Rose Tremain's first novel Sadler's Birthday (1976). Follow her on a journey through the spaces in life where we find quietness, and the ways we make ourselves fit into them, in writing or otherwise. The piano music in the closing section is ‘Tuesday', by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘But the darkness is a kind of blanket, and she comforts me…' This week, we join Sally on a sleepless night, on a journey through Millet's The Gleaners (1857), via her character Pond Man. Follow her through this meditation on voice, place, and the spaces in between events. More information on the painting can be found here. The wonderful piano music in the opening section is ‘Doubt', by Paul Sebastian. The guitar piece is by Dylan Gwalia. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Where do you start to if you want to diversify the primary curriculum? Based on her experience as a primary head teacher, Sarah Wordlaw shares ideas and insight for all school leaders, along with a message for the new government, which has just announced it'll soon be embarking on an independent review of curriculum and assessment. Sarah Wordlaw is the author of Time to Shake Up the Primary Curriculum: A step-by-step guide to creating a global, diverse and inclusive school. She's in conversation with NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen for this episode of the School Leadership Podcast.

‘London. Michaelmas Term lately over and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall…' This week, Sally has been reading and teaching Charles Dickens' Bleak House (1852). Follow her on a journey through his London, in the company of its climate, characters, and the bewildering legal bureaucracy not very far from our own…. Music used throughout includes ‘Tuesday' and ‘Thursday' by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

With the 4 July 2024 general election approaching, the School Leadership Podcast explores NAHT's manifesto for education For Their Future with the union's general secretary Paul Whiteman and assistant general secretary James Bowen. They talk through NAHT's key education priorities of recruitment and retention, SEND and school buildings, and explain why our next government needs to fix these crises and rebuild its relationship with the sector as part of a longer-term plan for change within the school system.

‘I'm wondering what happiness sounds like, these days…' This week, Sally has been reading Nan Shepherd's The Weatherhouse, and reflecting on her relationship with happiness and contentment. Join her for a meditation on acceptance, simplicity, and our connections to life's natural rhythms. The guitar music throughout is by D. Gwalia. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘There's no life that frees anyone so completely from unhappiness as does the mystic life…' This week, Sally has been reading John Cowper Powys' 1932 novel, A Glastonbury Romance. Join her for a meditation on attachment, possession, desire, and being with others. More information on Powys can be found here: https://www.powys-society.org/JCPowys.html The wonderful piano music in the opening section is by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Paul Clarke, and Maeve Magnus.

"What is it this material life we find ourselves captured by?"  This week Sally is developing her character, Pond Man as she considers the opening line of James Joyce's experimental epic, Ulysses, and the tradition of ritual - secular and religious - in everyday life. In the tradition of Joyce, we observe Pond Man across the length and breadth of his day as he prepares to sleep.  This episode was edited and produced by D. Gwalia. The guitar music is by D. Gwalia.  The opening and exiting voice is Emma Fielding.  Special thanks to Andrew Smith, James Bowen, Lucie Richter-Mahr, Kris Dyer, Violet Henderson, and Maeve Magnus.

‘You see, I go and live with Pond Man when the pain becomes too much…' This week, we join Sally at home, as she tries to live with a pain that has become familiar with the help of imagination, community and her young neighbour Maeve. Follow her as she escapes the everyday through the figure of Pond Man, an inhabitant of her latest work, seeking solace in the world of her forthcoming novel (2025), Pond Life. The wonderful piano music in the opening section is by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

A special episode this week, as we join Sally at Brasenose College in a conversation titled ‘A Reading Life, A Writing Life', with fellow writers Aida Edemariam and Joanna Kavenna. Join them for a discussion on memory, storytelling, and the porous boundaries between reality and fiction. Aida is a writer and journalist whose debut book The Wife's Tale received the Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Award. More information on her and her work can be found here: https://www.rcwlitagency.com/authors/edemariam-aida/ Joanna, whose 2016 novel A Field Guide to Reality has appeared in a previous episode, is a novelist, essayist and current Frankland Visitor at Brasenose College, Oxford. More information can be found on her website: http://www.joannakavenna.com/ This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.    

‘If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one…' This week, Sally has been reading José Saramago's Blindness, and thinking about the ways we see, or don't see, the world around us. Drawing on J.M. Barrie, join her for a reflection on seeing and writing through the dark places of the world. The wonderful piano music in the opening section is by Paul Sebastian, and the guitar music was written and performed by D. Gwalia. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Kris Dyer, Violet Henderson, and Maeve Magnus.

As the World Rally Championship makes its traditional second stop of the season in Sweden this week, excitement is building for the WRC's only snow rally. ‘Snow' is the word on this week's pod, because we also look back at the ARA's season-opener, Sno*Drift.Host Lisa O'Sullivan is joined by George Donaldson and James Bowen to discuss all things Rally Sweden where world champion Kalle Rovanperä makes his first appearance of the season. Stateside, David Evans and Colin Clark join Brenten Kelly to review Sno*Drift, where Travis Pastrana's return injected some stardust into proceedings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

‘Let words pass through you in a small contained space' This week, we join Sally for a meditation on creating and inhabiting a space in which to write, and to be held, via the work of the novelist V.S. Pritchett. Follow her as she begins to lay out her meditative practice of reading and writing, drawing on the restorative power of words on the page. An account of Pritchett and his work can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/feb/22/vspritchett This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

The 2024 World Rally Championship season finally gets underway this week with the Monte Carlo Rally. David Evans, George Donaldson, Alasdair Lindsay and James Bowen discuss title contenders, the move from Monaco to Gap, a hotly-contested WRC2 field and more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

‘I shall be late!' Sally has been following the White Rabbit this week, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and reflecting on the ever-increasing demands on the writer's time. Follow her down the rabbit hole on a journey through time, lateness, and rest… This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. The wonderful piano music in the closing section was composed by Paul Clarke. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

With just over a week until the World Rally Championship season kicks off, the SPIN, The Rally Pod team have assembled talk through the biggest storylines in the championship heading into 2024. Among several items on the agenda, David Evans, Alasdair Lindsay, James Bowen and Eliot Barnard discuss how they think the battle between Hyundai and Toyota will play out, why the WRC's new points system will provide plenty of intrigue, and what we should expect from M-Sport's young driver line-up.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Top jockey James Bowen joined Emmet Kennedy on Racing Live on TalkSPORT2 to discuss his first Grade 1 success, his red-hot form as he deputizes for the injured Nico de Boinville, competing against his brother on the track, overcoming injuries, partnering one of Henrietta Knight's first runners back, and providing us with insights on his boss Nicky Henderson's stable star, Constitution Hill, as well as sharing his opinions on Jonbon, Jango Baie, and horses to follow. Check out Racing Live weekdays from 1 pm on TalkSPORT2. Venatour Racing Social: If your planning a racing trip to Europe or further afield, check out Venatour Racing Social for a large range of bespoke racing holidays at Venatour.co.uk Form Tools: Proform is the essential tool for punters looking to make money from betting on Horse Racing. Our form book covers Jumps and Flat racing in the UK and Ireland. https://www.proformracing.com/ Twitter: @FinalFurlongPod Email: radioemmet@gmail.com In association with Adelicious Podcast Network. Hosted on Megaphone.  Follow us for free on Spotify Podcasts https://open.spotify.com/show/3e6NnBkr7MBstVx5U7lpld Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For many World Rally Championship aficionados, the season kicks off with testing for the Monte Carlo Rally. George Donaldson and James Bowen join David Evans to discuss the keys to success on the WRC's iconic season-opener.We have tales of Monte testing past, which could last for weeks, as well as mid-event recces! There's even a suggestion for how teams could make greater use of technology in the current era of severely-restricted testing.Dakar devotees, we have you covered too. Colin Clark joins the team from Saudi Arabia to provide an insight into the the marathon event.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick is joined by Racing Post senior writer to take a look at today's racing news on the first day of 2024. Lee joins the show from Cheltenham, for the first of 170 premier racedays under the sport's new structure. Fakenham Chairman Sam Bullard is along to express his reservations about the new fixture list and the way it has impinged on the holiday opportunities for the east of England today. Also on today's show, top jumps trainer Nicky Henderson talks about his successes at Newbury on Saturday, and discusses Shishkin, Constitution Hill, James Bowen and much more besides. Kentucky Equine Research founder Joe Pagan and Saracen Thoroughbred Nutrition Director Polly Bonnor bring us their latest instalment, this time focusing on feeding broodmares in their final trimester. Happy New Year from all the team!

‘How do you remember people first?' We join Sally on New Year's Night, staying with a relative in Chichester, a familiar city from her childhood. Join her for a meditation on embodiment, memory, and authority, via a vision of John Milton's hell from the epic Paradise Lost. Satan's speech, read partway through the episode, can be found here: https://poets.org/poem/paradise-lost-book-i-lines-221-270 This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Nick is joined by Racing Post senior writer to take a look at today's racing news on the first day of 2024. Lee joins the show from Cheltenham, for the first of 170 premier racedays under the sport's new structure. Fakenham Chairman Sam Bullard is along to express his reservations about the new fixture list and the way it has impinged on the holiday opportunities for the east of England today. Also on today's show, top jumps trainer Nicky Henderson talks about his successes at Newbury on Saturday, and discusses Shishkin, Constitution Hill, James Bowen and much more besides. Kentucky Equine Research founder Joe Pagan and Saracen Thoroughbred Nutrition Director Polly Bonnor bring us their latest instalment, this time focusing on feeding broodmares in their final trimester. Happy New Year from all the team!

To celebrate the end of another exciting year in the World Rally Championship, we decided to host our first ever SPIN, The Rally Pod listener special. And after so many of you got in touch across our social channels, we assembled a DirtFish panel of experts - David Evans, Colin Clark, George Donaldson and host James Bowen - to give their takes on the topics you want to know more about. So sit back and enjoy as the DirtFish team answer your questions on part one of our listener special, and don't forget to check back soon for part two!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For Demi. ‘And the heaviest nuns walk in a pure floating / Of dark habits, / keeping their difficult balance.' This week, Sally has been living with Richard Wilbur's ‘Love Calls Us to the Things of the World', and reflecting on living with pain. Balance with her on the precipices we all exist on… The poem can be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43048/love-calls-us-to-the-things-of-this-world This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Tom in for Nick and joined by Jonathan Harding of the Racing post. We start with the news that there will be an inspection tomorrow morning ahead of Sandown's Tingle Creek day with the weather forecast not looking very kind. We hear from James Bowen who rides Shishkin for his first start of the season after he refused to race at ascot last time. Also in the race is Love Envoi owned by the Noel Fehily racing syndicate and Noel joins us to talk about three runners for the team at Sandown over the next two days. We hear from Lucy Wadham whose appeal was successful yesterday and she states her satisfaction at the appeal process, then we head to Hong Kong to hear from Ed Crisford who runs West Wind Blows in the Hong Kong Vase. Finally, Charlotte has news from the bloodstock world as Francois Buzon explains how he came about Ace Impact's half sister for just 10,000 Euros and is now preparing to say goodbye to her as she's set to go through the ring at Arqana on Saturday.